


A Case Study in Step-Parenting

by lfthinkerwrites



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family Bonding, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, Parent-Child Relationship, Snapshots, Step-parents, Teenagers, Vignette, minor past Edward/Ellen's Mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-05-25 07:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14972258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lfthinkerwrites/pseuds/lfthinkerwrites
Summary: Jonathan Crane has never particularly cared for children, but Ellen Nashton isn't just any child.





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first of the two AUs I have planned. This is just a little self-indulgent series of snapshots in the lives of the soon to be Crane-Nashton blended family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan Crane meets the most important person in his boyfriend Edward's life: his seven year old daughter, Ellen.

The alarm clock on the bedside drawer rang long and loud at 6 AM. Jonathan Crane reached out to hit the snooze button and then drew himself up, stretching his long thin arms above his head with a yawn. Beside him, his auburn-haired bedmate began to stir.

"Why you insist on setting that alarm that loud this early is beyond me," he muttered. "Some of us don't have to be up for another hour."

Jonathan reached down to run his long fingers through his partner's hair. "Last time I left without waking you up Edward, you complained about waking up alone."

Edward cracked open an eye and peered up at Jonathan. "Can't you stay five more minutes?"

Jonathan shook his head. "Last time I gave you five minutes, you turned it into twenty."

Edward fully opened his eyes and frowned up at him. "You're evil."

Jonathan smiled a bit. Edward was always at his most ornery early in the morning. "I'm aware." He leaned down to kiss the top of Edward's head. Before he could pull back, Edward hooked his hands around the back of his neck and pulled him into a kiss. When Jonathan pulled away, Edward's expression was soft and affectionate. He wanted nothing more than to stay with his partner, but he had an early morning lecture to give. He got out of bed and walked over to his dresser, pulling together his outfit for the day. As he pulled on his dress shirt, he heard Edward get out of bed and walk over behind him. Edward leaned his head against his shoulder. "Do you have anything planned Saturday?"

Jonathan paused as he buttoned his shirt. "No, but isn't this your weekend with Ellen?" He felt Edward's arms encircle his waist and he raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Edward was a tactile person, but Jonathan had noted that he was extra clingy when he was about to ask something that he wasn't sure Jonathan would be receptive to.

"Yes, but...I was thinking...if you want...I'd like you to meet her."

Oh. Oh. Jonathan had known since he'd begun dating Edward a year ago that he had a daughter. She was the product of a relationship Edward had with an art student when he was in college. The romantic relationship with her had ended years ago, but the two maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship, splitting custody fifty-fifty. Edward positively doted on the little girl, constantly talking her up when Jonathan had asked after her. He'd seen pictures of her, but he'd never actually met her. Now it seemed that Edward wanted him to.

"Jonathan?"

Jonathan considered this. He'd never particularly cared for children, hence teaching at the college level. He'd never had any desire to be a parent. Edward loved his daughter though, and Jonathan loved Edward. What harm would there be in just meeting the girl?

"Alright," he answered.

Edward stood up on his tiptoes to give Jonathan a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Jonathan."

* * *

 

"Hi, Professah Crane!"

Jonathan looked up from his seat in the Psychology department office of Gotham University and gave a short nod. "Afternoon Dr. Quinzel."

Harleen Quinzel, or Harley as she insisted on being called, took the seat next to Jonathan and gave him a wide smile. "Whatcha doing this weekend?" She gave him a smirk. "Got anything special planned with Eddie?"

Jonathan looked back down at the lesson plan he'd all but finished. "As a matter of fact..." Jonathan paused. Harley was the only person in the department he could call a friend, but that didn't mean he liked sharing details of his personal life with her. "Edward wants me to meet his daughter tomorrow."

Harley raised her hands to cover a squeal. "Really!? Congratulations!"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "'Congratulations'?"

"Well yeah! If Eddie wants you to meet his kid, it means he's really into you! He wouldn't want you to meet his kid if he didn't think it was a serious relationship!" Harley good-naturedly rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, Jonny. Don'tcha know anything about relationships?"

Jonathan wasn't embarrassed. Really. "Evidently not," he drawled. "You have nieces and nephews, don't you? How do you talk to children?"

Harley giggled a bit. "Don't tell me Professah Jonathan Crane, the terror of the Gotham University Psychology department, the bane of undergrads everywhere is nervous about meeting a six-year-old!"

"Seven-year-old," Jonathan corrected peevishly. "And I'm not nervous about meeting her." Nervous about Edward's reaction if he did or said anything to upset the child was more accurate. "Do you have any advice or not?"

Harley's expression grew serious. "Talk to her, but don't talk down to her. Kids can pick up on that kind of stuff pretty easily. Ask her about what she likes and act interested, even if you're not. And don't try to force yourself on her, or act like a parent. Let her warm up to you."

Jonathan nodded. This all seemed logically sound. "Thank you."

Harley waved her hand. "No problem Jonny." Her face took on a mischievous look. "Hey, ya never know! Maybe she can be your flower girl when you and Eddie get married!"

Jonathan's face was absolutely not flushing. "Don't you have work to do Dr. Quinzel?"

* * *

 

Jonathan spent the next two days brushing up on child psychology, but by the time Saturday rolled around, he felt just as lost as when he'd first agreed to this meeting. Oh well. Jonathan pulled up to Gotham Central Park and parked his truck. He took a deep breath. It would be alright. She was only seven. Edward wouldn't have set this up if he thought there was a chance of something going horribly wrong. Jonathan unbuckled his belt and got out of the truck. He walked up the pathway into the park proper. It was a beautiful fall day. Any other time, he'd meander slowly through the park, admiring the colors as the leaves fell. Today though, he scanned the park and the assorted families for one in particular. Edward had said they'd be here by noon, and it was 12:30. Where were they-

"Jonathan!"

Jonathan looked to the left and saw Edward standing alone by a picnic table. Behind him was a playground, filled with small children. Edward waved him over, a wide smile on his face. Jonathan steeled her nerves and walked towards him.

Edward walked up to him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you again for coming out," he said. "Ellen's been looking forward to it!"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. Really? "Where is she?"

Edward turned back towards the playground. "On the swings. I can never get her to get off them when I bring her here." He called out "Ellen! Sweetheart! Jonathan's here!"

Jonathan watched as a little girl with red pigtails leaped off the swings and bounded up to them. Jonathan felt his heart beat just a bit faster the closer she got. Finally, she stopped when she was standing next to her father. She peered up at Jonathan with curiosity. Now that he was seeing her in person for the first time, Jonathan could see just how much she took after her father in appearance. She had his hair, freckles on her face, and wide green eyes, just like Edward's eyes. Edward grinned as he introduced them. "Ellen, this is Daddy's friend, Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Ellen."

Jonathan gave the girl a nod. "Hello, Ellen. How are you?"

Ellen said nothing at first, slightly pressing against her father's leg. Edward smiled indulgently at her. "It's alright Ellen. Don't be shy."

Ellen took a step closer then. She craned her neck back and said in a high pitched voice "Wow! You're really tall!"

Jonathan blinked. He was used to children staring at him, but he'd seldom ever encountered one who was quite so blunt. "Ellen!" Edward scolded.

"It's alright," Jonathan said. The last thing he wanted was for her to get in trouble on his account. "Yes, I am."

Ellen grinned a bit then. Jonathan was struck by how much it looked like Edward's. "I like your voice. You sound like the Chicken guy. Are you hungry? Daddy brought peanut butter sandwiches! You want one?"

"Thank you, but I'll be alright." Jonathan's nerves had been such that he didn't think he could get anything down. He sat down at the picnic table with Edward and Ellen anyway. Ellen sat between him and her father, asking questions in between mouthfuls.

"Daddy said you're a professor. What's that?"

"It's a teacher, but for grown-ups," Jonathan answered. "What do you like to do Ellen?"

"I like to draw and play outside and collect rocks and I wanna learn to cook but Mommy and Daddy won't let me touch the stove." Ellen took a big gulp, then peered up inquisitively. "Are you and Daddy boyfriends?"

Jonathan heard Edward nearly choke on his sandwich. "Ellen!"

"I heard Mommy and Gramma talking last night and she said you were."

"Wonderful," Edward muttered. "Rachel's always been a busybody."

"It's alright Edward," Jonathan said. "It's better she finds out now anyway."

Ellen cocked her head. "Is having a boyfriend bad?"

"No, sweetheart," Edward said. "I just didn't want to overwhelm you, that's all."

"'Kay," Ellen said. She took another bite out of her sandwich and appeared deep in thought. "If you're a boy and have a boyfriend, does that mean I can have a girlfriend?"

Jonathan laughed out loud at the look on Edward's face. "You might want to wait until you're a bit older Ellen," he said. "But yes, you can have a girlfriend."

Ellen smiled. "Good."

After a lunch filled with more questions, Ellen finally got up and ran back to the playground. Edward scooted a bit closer to Jonathan and grasped his hand.

"Well?" Edward asked. "What do you think?"

Jonathan knew that his answer would determine the course of their relationship. So he opted for the truth: "Charming child."

Edward clapped his hands together gleefully. "Isn't she though? I knew you'd like her!"

"She is a bit...inquisitive, isn't she?"

Edward laughed a bit. "Yes. Takes after me in that department." Edward squeezed Jonathan's hand a bit tighter. "She didn't make you uncomfortable did she?"

"Not at all," Jonathan said and he meant it.

"She seems to like you quite a bit."

"She does?"

Edward nodded. "I've never seen her that interested in anyone I've introduced to her before."

Jonathan couldn't resist teasing him a bit. "You've introduced her to a lot of people?"

Edward's face flushed. "My friends not-you're the first romantic partner I've had since her mother that she's met."

Jonathan ran his thumb across the top of Edward's hand. "I know darlin'. Just having a bit of fun."

Edward pouted. "Evil." The sound of a phone ringing caused Edward to reach down into his coat pocket. He looked at the phone and stifled a curse. "It's Gordon, I have to take this. I'll be right back." Edward got off of the bench and walked off a bit to take the call.

Jonathan occupied himself with watching the playground. He spotted Ellen pulling together leaves to make a leaf pile. Jonathan sat a little straighter when he saw an older boy approaching her. The boy kicked the leaf pile Ellen had made and laughed. Jonathan's eyes narrowed. He detested bullies. Edward was still busy on his phone call, having not noticed what was happening. Jonathan got up and prepared to walk over to separate the boy from Ellen when he saw Ellen get up from where she had crouched down and pushed the boy with all her might. The boy toppled backward, falling into a mud puddle. A group of children saw this and began to laugh at him, no doubt jeering at him for being pushed over by a girl. The boy got up and ran off. Ellen got back to work putting together a new leaf pile. She looked up at Jonathan and gave a little wave. Jonathan waved in response, sat back down and smirked. He might not be fully comfortable around children, but he thought he already liked this child.

Edward got off his phone call and sat back down next to Jonathan. "I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"No," Jonathan answered. "She's just playing in the leaves."

Edward shook his head. 'I'm going to be picking leaves off of her clothes tonight, I know it." The two of them continued to watch Ellen as she jumped in her pile.

She came back up to them about 15 minutes later, having worn herself out. She carried with her two bright red leaves. She gave one to Edward. "Here Daddy!"

Edward smiled and put it in his pocket. "Another one for my collection." He kissed the top of Ellen's head. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Jonathan watched this with a still alien feeling of warmth. Neither he or Edward had any kind of decent family upbringing. Edward's clear love for his daughter was good to see. After giving her father a hug, Ellen went up to Jonathan and gave him the other leaf. "For you!" She said, holding it out for him.

Jonathan hesitated at first, then took it from her. "Thank you." Ellen smiled and Jonathan felt himself smile a bit in response. This first meeting seemed to turn out well.


	2. Dinner and a Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a successful first meeting, Jonathan is invited to a family dinner.

"Well? How did it go?"

Jonathan shrugged, trying and failing to ignore Harley as she leaned over his desk, a comically eager look on her face. "It went well."

"And?" Harley wheedled. "Did she like you?"

"She gave me a leaf. That's a good sign, isn't it?"

Harley clapped her hands together and let out a squeal that she might have thought was adorable but came across rather strong for a woman of her age. "Aww, Jonny! Who've thought you'd have such a way with kids?"

Jonathan went back to grading his papers, trying not to flush. "Anyway, Edward wants me to come over for dinner tonight while he still has her."

"You're gonna go, right?"

Jonathan paused as he wrote a grade on the paper. He didn't want to intrude on Edward's time with his daughter, but he also didn't want to give the impression that he was wary of Ellen. It was just a dinner and she did seem to like him on Saturday..."Yes. I am."

* * *

 

Jonathan had only knocked once on the door before Ellen herself answered. Her face lit up in a smile when she saw him. "Hi, Mr. Jonathan!" She looked back to yell into the house "Daddy! Mr. Jonathan's here!"

Edward ran up to the front door, dressed in a green patterned t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. It was the most casual outfit Jonathan had ever seen him in. For once, Jonathan looked down at his slacks and flannel shirt and felt overdressed. "Thank you, sweetheart," Edward said, ruffling her hair. He smiled at Jonathan. "Come on in." 

Edward and Ellen moved out of the doorway, allowing Jonathan to enter the small home. He'd been over for dinner before of course, but this was the first dinner with Ellen. The little girl scooted past them to return to her spot at the kitchen table. She went back to scribbling on a sheet of white paper as Jonathan hung up his tweed jacket.

"I'm making bolognese for us tonight," Edward said. "With plain meatballs for Ellen."

"Sounds good," Jonathan said. When he was certain Ellen wasn't watching, he leaned down to give Edward a small peck on the forehead. "Need any help?"

"I've got it," Edward said with a smile. "Ellen likes to help set the table. She might get offended if you help instead." Jonathan looked back at the table to see that Ellen was watching the two of them with curiosity. "I need to go check on the sauce. Feel free to sit down." Edward reached down to squeeze Jonathan's hand before disappearing into the kitchen. Jonathan sat down on the sofa, idly watching the news. Some news story about a man dressed as a bat foiling a bank robbery. Interesting. He looked out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Ellen was still watching him. When he made eye contact with her, she didn't look away. Jonathan thought about what to say to her

"What are you working on?" He asked finally.

"Coloring," Ellen said. She hopped off of her chair and walked over to where he sat, carrying the paper with her. She held it out for Jonathan and he took it. On the paper there was a drawing of what Jonathan assumed was a little girl with red hair and an adult man with red hair, both wearing green. Ellen's depiction of herself and her father, no doubt. 

"That's nice," he said.

Ellen smiled. "I'm gonna give it to Daddy so he can take it to work."

"I'm sure he'll like it." Ellen hopped up on the sofa and took the cushion next to Jonathan. He quickly flipped the channel to something more child appropriate. The weather channel was more appropriate, wasn't it? Ellen sat back and ignored the TV entirely, turning her attention to Jonathan. 

"Do you have any kids?" she asked.

"No," Jonathan answered. "I've never been married."

"My Daddy and Mommy were never married."

Jonathan was glad he didn't have a drink, for he would have choked on it. He thought of what to say before Edward came back and accused him of corrupting his child. "Uh...how do you like school?"

Ellen shrugged. "It's ok."

"What's your favorite subject?"

Ellen's face lit up. "Art! I like to read sometimes too, but I like recess more! And once in science, we made little parachutes for eggs and Ms. Kringle threw them off the roof and my egg didn't break!"

Jonathan felt himself smile almost at Ellen's enthusiasm. It was certainly something she'd inherited from her father. Speaking of Edward, he picked that moment to pop back in from the kitchen. "Are you two having fun?"

Ellen nodded. "I was telling Mr. Jonathan about school!"

Edward chuckled a bit. "Ellen sweetie, I know I told you to be polite, but you don't have to call him 'Mr. Jonathan'."

Ellen's smile dropped a bit. "Oh." She looked up at Jonathan again with a furrowed brow. "I don't hafta call you 'Uncle Jonathan', do I?"

Jonathan shook his head. "No, you can just call me Jonathan. Or Jon, if you like."

Ellen smiled again. "Ok, Jon."

Edward raised her eyebrows. "Jon? You hardly ever let me call you Jon!"

"You're not a child Edward. You just act like one at times."

Edward raised a hand to his chest and made a dramatic noise. "Oh! I see how it is! This is the thanks I get for cooking you dinner!"

Ellen giggled at her father's antics while Jonathan shook his head. "You're proving my point, Edward." 

Edward lowered his hand and laughed. "Just having a bit of fun dearest. By the way, dinner should be ready in about five minutes, so if anyone wants to help set the table..."

Ellen hopped off the couch and ran into the kitchen. "Me, me, me!" Jonathan turned off the TV, got off the couch and followed Edward into the kitchen. 

"Will she be alright carrying plates out here?"

Edward chuckled. "I keep plastic plates in a cupboard for her when she comes over. And I keep an eye on her when she handles the silverware." Ellen walked past the two men and to the table, putting silverware and napkins around three places of the circular table. Edward ruffled her hair as she passed him again. "No need to bring plates out tonight, I'll load up your plate in the kitchen."

Dinner was an interesting affair. Jonathan listened more than he spoke as he observed Edward's interactions with his daughter. Both of them spoke excitedly and fast and Jonathan was glad that he'd been dating Edward as long as he had, otherwise even he would have had difficulty following their conversation. Finally, Ellen took a big sip of milk and asked, "Daddy, can we play a game tonight?"

Edward pretended to consider this. "Let's see...did you finish your homework?"

Ellen pouted. "You checked it, Daddy!"

Edward grinned. "Oh yes, I did. Alright then...Will you take your plate to the kitchen when you're done?"

Ellen nodded. Edward shot Jonathan a look. "Jonathan, would you like to play a game with us?"

Jonathan almost laughed at how wide and beseeching Ellen's eyes were. "As long as it isn't Scrabble." A Scrabble game had started his and Edward's first fight. He really didn't want to play something like Candy Land either. "What do you want to play Ellen?"

"Clue!"

Of course. She was Edward's child after all. 

* * *

 

The plates were barely in the dishwasher before Ellen came back up to the dining room table with the game set. She climbed back up in her chair and opened the top of the lid, pulling out the red game piece. "I get to be Ms. Scarlet!" She pulled out the green piece and placed it at Edward's spot next to her. "Daddy's Mr. Green..." She jut out her lip in thought for a moment before handing Jonathan the purple piece. "And you can be Professor Plum, 'cause you're a professor!" 

Jonathan took the piece from her and watched as Edward took his seat and shuffled the cards. "Alright then, we all know the rules." He gave Jonathan and Ellen a set of cards, before removing three.

"No peeking Daddy!" Ellen scolded as he put the three cards in the envelope.

Edward looked scandalized. "Me? Cheat? Why I never!" He placed the envelope off to his right side and handed Ellen the dice. "Ms. Scarlett, it is your turn."

Ellen rolled the dice and her eyes lit up when she rolled a six. "Yay! I get to go to the lounge!" She moved her piece into the room and looked at her cards. 

"Alright then Ms. Scarlett," Edward said in a grave voice. "What is your suggestion?"

Ellen rubbed her chin and it made Jonathan smile a bit at how much it resembled Edward's. "Mr. Green, in the library, with the revolver!"

Edward's jaw dropped in mock outrage. "You accuse me! Your own father!" He looked to Jonathan for support. "Jonathan! Defend me from this betrayal!"

Jonathan looked at his cards. "Sorry Edward. I've got the revolver card but I can't disprove that it was you."

Edward pouted. "Some help you are dearest. Luckily, I can clear my name." He showed both Jonathan and Edward the Mr. Green card with a triumphant smirk. "Your turn Jonathan."

"Alright then." Jonathan rolled the dice and got a three. He moved his piece and then handed the dice to Edward. "Your turn darlin'."

Ellen giggled. "You called Daddy darling!"

Edward's face flushed a bit as he took the dice. "Ellen!" He rolled the dice and let out a cheer as he rolled an eight. "Ha ha! My turn to make a suggestion!" He folded his hands in front of his face and did his best impression at a villainous voice. "I suggest, that it was Ms. Scarlett, in the ballroom, with the rope!"

"You're mean Daddy!" Ellen shouted. She turned to Jonathan. "Jon, Daddy's being mean!"

If the two of them felt comfortable enough to behave like this around him, what were they like by themselves? Jonathan wasn't sure he wanted to know. He checked his cards. "I've got the Ms. Scarlett card. Better luck next time Edward."

Ellen stuck her tongue out at her father and held her hand out for the dice. "Ellen," Edward warned. "No sticking out your tongue." He handed her the dice and she rolled again. The game continued on like this for ten more minutes, until Jonathan made his accusation.

"Professor Plum, in the conservatory, with the lead pipe."

"You're accusing yourself, Jonathan? Admirable." Edward checked the cards.  "Well. It was you." He clucked his tongue. "A lead pipe? Really? How inelegant."

Jonathan shrugged. "Poison's not an option. That's how I'd really do it."

"Me too!" Ellen chimed in. "Can we play again?"

Edward looked at Jonathan. "Are you up for another round Professor Plum?"

"By all means, Mr. Green."

* * *

 

An hour, three accusations and two small fights later and Ellen let out a yawn. Edward looked down to check his watch. "It's 8:00. Time for bed."

Ellen pouted. "I'm not sleepy."

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Oh no? I saw you yawn."

"Nuh-uh."

"Oh yes, I did."

"Nuh-" Ellen was cut off by another yawn. She sulked. "I don't wanna go to bed."

"I don't want to have to see mean old Detective Bullock tomorrow either, but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do."

Ellen continued to sulk but got out of her chair just the same. She helped her father put away the game pieces and put it back in the game box in the living room, before going off to her room. Edward got up to follow her, squeezing Jonathan's hand. "I'll be right back, I just need to get her to bed."

Jonathan squeezed his hand back. "Do what you need to do. I'll be here."

Edward smiled, then disappeared down the hallway. Jonathan took the opportunity to get up and stretch his legs. He thought he'd need more time to get used to Ellen, but he found that he was starting to take to her, almost as quickly as he had to her father. He walked over to Edward's bookshelf and found a framed picture of Edward and Ellen at a park. She must have been about three years old in the picture. She was sitting on a swing set, with Edward behind her, pushing her. The two of them had matching smiles. Jonathan took the frame and studied it further. From what he'd witnessed tonight, they were a happy little family. And now Edward seemed to want to invite him into it. Jonathan sighed, putting the frame back on the shelf. He'd never been part of a family, not even his own. Could he risk getting too attached to Ellen, in case his and Edward's relationship didn't work out?

"Hey."

Jonathan turned to see Edward standing beside him. "What time do you have to be in tomorrow morning?"

"9 am."

Edward smiled. "Good. You can stay a little longer." Edward took Jonathan by the hand and led him to the sofa. When the two of them were seated, he picked up the remote and turned the TV back on, changing it to a premium channel. He lay back on the sofa, resting his head on Jonathan's shoulder. Jonathan wrapped his arm around Edward and kissed his forehead. Edward smiled. "Alone at last."

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, until Edward asked: "You didn't feel left out at all tonight, did you?"

Jonathan shook his head. "Not at all. I had fun."

"Good." Edward wet his lip. "I'm not overwhelming you with all of this, am I? I mean, I know you aren't exactly comfortable around children, but you've been great with Ellen."

"She's a good kid."

"Of course. She's my kid."

Jonathan scoffed a bit. "Here's hoping she's a bit more modest." He felt Edward chuckle a bit. Jonathan took a breath before asking a question of his own. "Is Ellen...really alright with me being here like this? I don't want to cut into her time with you."

Edward frowned a bit. "You've seen how Ellen is around you."

"Just twice. I don't mean anything against her, mind you. But I don't want her to think I'm trying to steal you away from her."

Edward said nothing but snuggled in even closer to Jonathan's side. "Now I know I made the right choice," he said. "The last person I dated who was so concerned about her was her mother." He reached up to touch Jonathan's face. "Ellen is my daughter. She's always going to come first in my life. That's why I waited so long before I introduced the two of you. But you're an important part of my life now too Jon. As long as you're both comfortable with it, I'd like to share you with each other."

Jonathan leaned down and kissed him. "I'll be here as long as you want me."

Edward laced his fingers around Jonathan's neck and smiled. "Well then, I hope you planned to stick around for a very, very long time." Jonathan felt a smile come to his face and leaned in again. Just before their lips connected, he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye. He pulled away and saw Ellen standing in the hallway.

"Daddy? Can I have a glass of water?"

Edward nearly jumped out of his skin, before he got off the couch, shooting Jonathan an apologetic look. "To be continued." He gave Ellen a stern look. "Ellen, I've told you about getting out of bed."

"But Daddy, I really am thirsty!"

"One half a glass of water and I don't want to hear another peep."

Jonathan watched with a hint of amusement as Edward led Ellen into the kitchen for her water, then down the hall again. As they passed, Ellen turned and gave Jonathan a wave. "Good night Jon."

Jonathan gave a wave in response. "Good night, Child." 


	3. A Part of the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas time brings more bonding with Ellen as well as meeting her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait for this chapter. I hope the length makes up for it!

So far, Jonathan’s visits had been pleasant, with Ellen being in a friendly mood. It stood to reason that sooner or later, he’d witness a pint-sized example of what he’d dubbed the Nashton temper. One bright December morning, Ellen delivered.

“I don’t wanna wear my green coat!”

“Ellen, it’s snowing outside. You’re wearing that coat.”

Ellen stomped her foot. “No! I hate it!”

Edward and Ellen had been going back and forth like this for almost ten minutes now. Jonathan had sat at the kitchen table watching the pair argue over a green puffy coat that Ellen refused to put on. Frankly, Jonathan agreed with her. The coat was hideous. He hadn’t gotten involved in the argument, however. It wasn’t his place too.

Edward leaned down and gave Ellen his sternest look. “Ellen Diane Nashton,” he said in a low tone. “You will wear this coat or you’ll stay inside all day. And you won’t get any hot chocolate either.”

Ellen glared back at her father for a long minute, before she finally took the coat from his hand and put it on with a huff. Edward looked unreasonably smug as she pulled on her coat. "There that's not so bad is it?" he asked as he zipped her up.

Ellen's only response was to jut out her lower lip. She looked over her shoulder, at least as much as she could with that puffy coat, at where Jonathan sat. "Jon doesn't have to wear a big puffy coat and he's skinnier than me!"

"Well, Jon's a grown-up. When you're a grown-up, you can freeze yourself to death if you so choose. In the meantime, you're wearing that coat."

Ellen glowered a bit, but when Edward opened the door, she ran, or rather waddled, out to the front yard. Edward shook his head as he watched her. "I still don't see why she likes the snow so much."

"She's a child," Jonathan said. "Children seem to like to play in it."

Edward scoffed. "Well, just wait until she's old enough to shovel it. I guarantee she'll stop loving it then."

The pair watched from the kitchen window as Ellen began to gather snow and roll it into a ball. She threw it at the tree in the front yard, then rolled another one. Edward frowned when he realized where she was aiming for. "Ellen!" he shouted, opening the window. "Not at the car!" Ellen threw the snowball at the tree again and then looked back at her father.

"Come out and play with me, Daddy!"

"in a minute sweetheart! Let me finish the dishes first!" Edward turned his attention to the kitchen sink and the dirty dishes that remained from breakfast. 

"Need any help with that?" Jonathan asked.

Edward shook his head. "I've got it. I have a certain way I do dishes."

Jonathan had noticed. He instead turned his attention back to the child waddling about outside. "Don't take this the wrong way Edward, but I think Ellen's got a point about that coat. She can barely walk in it."

"It's the warmest coat for children on the market," Edward defended, squeezing the dishwashing soap bottle exactly three times before scrubbing the cereal bowl with a sponge. "My little girl will not spend winter shivering, not like-" Edward paused. "Not like I did."

Jonathan got up from his seat then and walked up behind Edward. He encircled the man in his arms and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. After his childhood, it made sense that Edward would want only the best for his daughter. It was endearing, Jonathan had to admit.

Edward let out a small sigh of contentment and relaxed in Jonathan's hold. A shrill shriek interrupted their moment. "Daddy! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

Edward looked out the window. Sure enough, Ellen was lying on her back, trying in vain to roll over. Edward set his dish down and ran to grab his coat. "You know what? Maybe I should look into something a bit less puffy for her."

Jonathan watched from the window as Edward trekked out to the front yard and helped pull Ellen to her feet. He'd barely wiped the excess snow off of her coat when she grabbed his hand and started jabbering something about a snowman. She looked back at Jonathan and pointed at him. "Jon! We're gonna build a snowman! Come on!"

Jonathan hesitated for a moment before he walked to the coat stand and grabbed his jacket and scarf. It would be rude to stay indoors, he guessed. He walked out into the front yard, only slightly flinching at the cold. He could handle the humid summers of Gotham much better than he could the winters. Edward was kneeling on the ground, finishing rolling a large snowball. Ellen and Edward looked up as Jonathan approached and both smiled, their faces red from the cold and almost identical. Ellen waddled up to him and grabbed him by the hand, half dragging him to the still under construction snowman. "Daddy just made the snowman's butt!" 

"The base, Ellen!" Edward corrected as he rolled another ball. She ignored him, instead waddling off to grab twigs for the snowman's arms. When she was out of earshot, he muttered, "To think, a genius of my caliber reduced to manual labor!"

"You poor thing," Jonathan said insincerely. "Should I grab a carrot for the nose?"

"No, the squirrels would never leave the poor thing alone."

Ellen returned then, her hands full of twigs. She unceremoniously dropped them and looked back up at Jonathan. "Have you ever built a snowman Jon?"

"No," he answered. "Where I grew up, we didn't have snow."

Ellen's little jaw dropped. "No snow!? What did you do during the winter?"

Jonathan shrugged. "The same thing I did the rest of the year." He'd read mostly. When he was old enough, he worked, trying to earn enough money to get the Hell out of Georgia.

"Didn't you play with your family?" Ellen asked innocently.

Edward shot them a worried glance. "Ellen-"

"I didn't really have a family," Jonathan answered before he gave it any thought. Ellen's face immediately fell and Jonathan felt guilty. What had he been thinking, saying that? Ellen didn't need to know that. 

"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice.

Jonathan hesitated, then pat her head. "It's alright child. You didn't know." He could hear Edward breathe out a sigh of relief.

Ellen chewed her lip for a moment before she said "You have this snowman."

Edward had finished placing the second ball on top of the first and came up to Jonathan. "That's very nice of you, Ellen," he said with a smile. "What do you think you'll call him then?" His face took on a mischievous quality. "Freud maybe?"

Jonathan scowled. "Absolutely not."

"Who's Freud?" Ellen asked.

"No one," Jonathan said. "Just a miserable hack that will never be relevant again." Jonathan considered the snowman. "Nightmare."

"Oh, Jonathan, seriously? You're naming it Nightmare? That's morbid!"

"I like it!" Ellen piped up. "We should give him an evil face!"

"No, no no we are not having an evil snowman in my front yard! What will the neighbors think?"

"Ellen child, how about we put twigs in his head to give him antlers?"

Ellen's face lit up. "Yeah!"

"Jonathan, no!"

"Jon, yes!"

"Ellen!"

Ten minutes later, Edward looked less than impressed when Jonathan and Ellen put the finishing touches on Nightmare the snowman. "Fangs. Marvelous. Mrs. Benson down the street is going to have a fit when she sees this."

"Mrs. Benson is a mean old lady," Ellen said. "She yelled at me when I rode my bike down the street!"

"Did she now," Jonathan said. "Well, I think she'll love Nightmare." He wrapped his scarf around the snowman and stood back. It really was hideous. Perfect. Ellen took a step back to look and let out a cackle.

"Well if this thing gives the neighborhood kids nightmares, I'm blaming you, Jonathan!"

Jonathan had to roll his eyes a bit at his partner's theatrics. He rolled a small snowball and tossed it up in the air. Edward's eyes widened when he saw it. "Jonathan Crane, don't you dare!"

Jonathan smirked and threw it. Edward shrieked as he dodged it. "Oh, you're in for it now!" He quickly rolled a ball of his own and threw it back at Jonathan.

Ellen squealed. "Snowball fight!" She dropped to the ground behind Nightmare and made her own snowballs, which she tossed at Jonathan and her father.

"Ellen!" Edward called out. "How can you turn on me like this? I'm your father!"

"I helped you build Nightmare Ellen," Jonathan said from his spot behind the tree. "Remember that before you throw a snowball."

"Jonathan, stop turning my child against me!"

Ellen let out a war cry and continued to lob snowballs at the adults. The two men, in turn, abandoned their attack on each other and focused on her. Edward and Ellen collapsed into laughter within minutes. Jonathan himself was almost wheezing. 

"Are you alright, Jonathan?" Edward asked. 

Jonathan shook his head. "I'm fine, I just...I don't think I've ever laughed this much."

Edward wiped his brow. "Well. I'm done. I think it's time for hot chocolate."

Ellen bolted back into the house. "Hot chocolate with extra marshmallows please!"

Jonathan followed Edward back into the house with one last look at Nightmare the Snowman. He thought he could get used to this.

* * *

"Do you mind coming with me when I go pick up Ellen? Diane wants to meet you."

Jonathan almost dropped his toothbrush. Why Edward insisted on telling him things like this when he was in the middle of his morning routine was beyond him. "Why?" he finally managed to ask.

"Just to be friendly, I think. She says Ellen's told her quite a bit about you."

Jonathan turned off the faucet and placed his toothbrush back in the holder. He spit out the remaining toothpaste and wiped his mouth with a washcloth. "Probably wants to size me up too I imagine."

Edward shook his head. "Diane's not like that. Diane is a very...how do I put this? What you see is what you get with her. If she didn't have any interest in being friendly, she wouldn't bother with wanting to meet you."

Intellectually, Jonathan understood that in order to exist, Ellen had to have had a mother. That Edward would have had to have been with someone in the past who wasn't him. He'd been alright with Diane Dixon as a theoretical concept. Actually seeing her in the flesh was something else. "Fine."

"Are you sure? You don't-"

"I said it was fine."

Edward frowned a bit at his tone. "Alright. I'll come by here at 6."

* * *

 

"Meeting the ex? Hoo boy. That's gonna be a little awkward."

"Tell me about it," Jonathan drawled before taking a swig of coffee. Harley was sitting across from him in the coffee shop, her girlfriend Pamela in the seat beside her drinking an herbal tea. "Edward and I have been together for over a year. Why the Hell does she want to meet me now?"

Pamela rolled her eyes. "You don't think the fact that you've been spending time with her child might have something to do with it?"

Jonathan frowned a bit. That was probably the case, but it didn't make the prospect of meeting her any better. Harley finished stirring sugar into her tea before she said "I think Red's right Jonny. You and Eddie are getting pretty serious now too. If I were her, I'd want to meet the guy who might be my kid's stepdad."

"Edward and I haven't discussed anything like that Harley," Jonathan said. 

"Why does this bother you so much?" Pamela asked. Her lips curled up into a smirk. "Oh. You're not worried that she's going to try to steal Eddie back from you, are you?"

"Red!" Harley scolded. "Don't tease Jonny like that!" She reached out to pat Jonathan's hand. "Eddie wouldn't do that to you, Jonny. He's nuts about you."

Intellectually, Jonathan knew that. He'd always been a possessive person though. Meeting someone who Edward had once loved, no matter how long ago that had been, was not going to be a pleasant experience for him. She was Ellen's mother though. As long as she lived, she was going to be a part of Edward's life. And if he wanted to continue to be a part of Edward's and Ellen's lives, he needed to deal with it. 

* * *

 

Jonathan didn't say anything as Edward drove them into a neighborhood in Downtown Gotham. He caught Edward shooting him glances while driving every so often, but his partner said nothing. Finally, they pulled up to a small townhouse. Ellen was already waiting outside, by a woman who appeared to be about Edward's age. The little girl perked up when Edward stopped the car and got out. "Daddy!" she yelled, practically throwing herself at him. Jonathan watched as Edward caught her in a hug, then as the woman walked up to them. His eyes narrowed as Edward and the woman spoke low. So this was Diane Dixon. Jonathan got out of the car but didn't approach them. His first thought was that Diane didn't look much like Ellen. Her hair was strawberry blond instead of red, worn in a long ponytail. Her eyes were blue and looked at her daughter and her ex-lover with a warmth and kindness that seemed to radiate. The three of them together seemed to be a perfect little nuclear family. Ellen looked past her father and caught sight of Jonathan then. "Hi Jon!" she waved. 

Diane's gaze followed her daughter's and Jonathan made eye contact with the woman for the first time. Her eyes widened in surprise before she smiled at him. "Hello," she said and even her voice sounded soft. It grated on Jonathan. 

Edward beckoned him over with a wave and Jonathan ambled up to the three finally. "Diane, this is Jonathan. Jonathan, this is Diane." 

Jonathan gave Diane a curt nod. "Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine," Diane answered. She seemed genuine enough Jonathan supposed. "Ellen told me you helped build a snowman with her last weekend."

"I did," Jonathan answered.

"Mommy," Ellen asked before there was enough time for an awkward pause. "Can I show Daddy the drawing we made?"

Diane reached down to pat her daughter's head. "Sure sweetie. Be sure you grab everything you need for this week."

Ellen nodded, then ran off, dragging Edward behind her. Edward shot Jonathan an apologetic look before following his daughter into the house. Jonathan stifled a curse. He didn't think he had t be alone with Diane to meet her. For a long moment, the two of them said nothing. 

"So," Diane said at last. "Edward said that you teach at the university?"

"Professor of psychology," Jonathan answered. "You're an artist, right?"

Diane nodded. 'I work in a gallery, yes." She brushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lower lip. A nervous habit. So that was where Ellen had picked it up from. "Look," she said. "I'll admit, when Edward said he was dating an older man, I was a little worried. But from what everything he and Ellen told me, you seem like a good man. I don't want things to be awkward between us. I just want what's best for Ellen. And Edward."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her bluntness. "So do I, Ms. Dixon."

Diane sighed. "I know, I just-sorry, this sounded a lot better in my head." She absently twirled a lock of hair. "I'm not in love with Edward or anything like that, don't worry. We broke up for a reason. But he's Ellen's dad. I'm always going to care about him."

Jonathan nodded. He didn't need to be a psychologist to know the flustered young woman was telling the truth. He relaxed a bit. "I understand. And I don't have any ill feelings toward you either Ms. Dixon. I'm afraid this entire situation is a bit new to me."

Diane smiled again and Jonathan could see the resemblance between her and Ellen. "You and me both. And please, call me Diane. Ms. Dixon's my mother."

Jonathan's face softened a bit. "Alright. Diane." 

"Great. Now that that's out of the way, Ellen says you've been spending a lot of time with her and Edward."

"I have. Edward still has one on one time with her though, if you're worried about that."

Diane raised her hands. "I know, I'm not worried about that at all. Edward's a good Dad."

Jonathan smiled a bit. "Yes, he is. And Ellen's a good kid."

Diane nodded. "Yes, she is." Then her face grew serious. "I know it's probably not my business, but how serious are you and Edward? Ellen's gotten to like you quite a bit."

Jonathan's first thought was to agree with her, that it wasn't any of her business, but then he thought better of it. If he and Edward were to split up after Ellen had taken a shine to him, it wouldn't be him dealing with the fallout of that. "Serious," he said. "I love him. And I haven't known her long, but I've come to care for Ellen as well."

Diane's face softened. "Good." She looked like she wanted to say something more, when Ellen came running out, wearing her bright blue backpack. "I'm ready!"

Edward came walking out behind her, carrying an overnight bag of what Jonathan presumed was more stuff. "Hold on just a minute sweetheart. Your mother and I need to talk a bit about the Holiday schedule." He glanced at Diane. "Do you have a minute?"

Diane nodded. "Sure." She and Edward walked towards the front of the house, leaving Jonathan with Ellen. Jonathan tried not to feel left out. The custody schedule was and should be completely between Edward and Diane. He didn't need to have a say in that. He was distracted by a tugging at his hand. 

"Jon!" Ellen's voice piped up. "Do you wanna see my drawing?"

Jonathan shrugged. "Sure."

Ellen reached into her backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper. "I drew it for school! It's a picture of my family and friends!" She pointed to a red-haired figure with pigtails in the middle of the drawing. "That's me." She pointed to the other crayon drawings surrounding her. "These are my friends Joey and Marisol and Clarissa, but we call her Red because she has red hair like me!" She pointed to the back at two women. "This is Mommy and Gramma!" Finally, she pointed at two male figures off to the right-hand side. One of them Jonathan recognized as Edward. The other was a tall, thin man. It almost looked like-"And that's you!"

Jonathan blinked. "You drew me?"

Ellen nodded. "Yeah! You're Daddy's boyfriend! That makes you my friend!" She cocked her head at him curiously. "Do you not like it?"

Jonathan took the drawing from her. He'd known her for less than three months, but this child was essentially recognizing him as part of her family unit. He'd better not screw this up. "I love it, Ellen."

Ellen grinned and took the picture back from him. Edward walked up tot he pair of them then. "Alright, you two. Ready?"

Ellen dashed up to Diane and gave her a quick hug. "Bye, Mommy!"

Diane waved as Ellen ran back to the car. "Have fun with your Daddy!" She gave Jonathan a wave as well. "It was nice to meet you, Jonathan."

Jonathan nodded at her. "Nice to meet you as well." He got into the car and shut the door and soon, the three were on their way.

"So, what's the mood for dinner tonight?"

"Pizza!" Ellen shouted. 

"One vote for Pizza. I vote for Chinese myself. Jonathan? You're the tie-breaker."

Jonathan shrugged. "Pizza's fine with me."

Ellen let out a cheer from the backseat. Edward chuckled a bit, then glanced at Jonathan. "Did everything go ok between you and Diane?"

"We have an understanding, yes," Jonathan answered. Edward opened his mouth to ask more when Ellen asked what kind of pizza they were getting. She let out a fierce objection when Edward suggested broccoli as a topping and another round of bickering started. Jonathan leaned back in his seat and smiled a bit. He really did think he could get used to this. 

 


	4. Love and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan takes the final step to joining Edward's family when tragedy strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the delay in updates! I started a new job and my hours have been a bit hectic. This chapter also jumps around a bit timewise, but should still make sense. Enjoy!

Ellen was eight now and Jonathan had settled into a routine with her and Edward. For the first few months, since he'd met her, Jonathan spent an afternoon or an evening on the weekend with her and Edward. As time went by, he began to come over during weeknights as well. Ellen had adjusted quickly to the change, especially when Jonathan had proved to be of use to her.

It had been one evening when he was over for dinner. Edward had been in the kitchen while Jonathan sat with Ellen at the dining room table. He watched as Ellen scowled at the sheet of paper in front of her. "I hate math," the girl sulked.

"It was never my favorite subject either child," Jonathan said, not unkindly. She'd been sitting at the table for the past half hour and had only made a few token scribbles on her homework in that amount of time. She stuck her tongue out at it. "Ellen," Jonathan chided. "You know your father hates that."

Jonathan, Edward, and Diane had all agreed that Jonathan's role in disciplining Ellen should be limited to reinforcing Edward's rules and backing him up when needed. Ellen was normally a well-behaved child, but she had her moments. Now was one of them as she glared at Jonathan, sticking her tongue out at him. Jonathan felt his eyebrow twitch. "Child," he warned. He may not actually punish Ellen when she got out of line, but a well placed professorial glare wouldn't go amiss. Ellen blanched a bit, then pouted as she looked back down at her homework sheet.

"I wanna be an artist! Why do I even need to learn stupid math!?"

Jonathan thought about telling her how unlikely it was that she'd be able to have a sustainable career as an artist, but he thought better of it. She was only eight after all. No need to crush her dreams as of yet. "Let me see if I can help," he said. He walked around and sat down in the empty wooden chair next to Ellen and peered over her shoulder at the worksheet. It looked like the basic division Jonathan remembered from his grade school days. "Alright," he said pointing at the first problem. 6 divided by 3. "Did your teacher explain this to you?"

Ellen nodded. "He stood up at the board and talked about it. It was boring."

And not helpful in the slightest, Jonathan suspected. Ellen, from what he could tell, learned best by doing. He took a blank sheet of paper from Ellen's neon notebook and drew six small vertical lines on it. "Division's essentially repeated subtraction," Jonathan said. "Now, we start with six lines here," he pointed at the paper. Ellen looked at it, her little face disinterested. "So, we need to divide these six by three. Let's put these lines into groups of three." He drew little circles around a set of three lines. When he was done, he looked at Ellen. "Now: how many groups of three do we have?"

Ellen looked at the sheet. "Two?"

Jonathan nodded. "That's right. Let's try the next problem: 15 divided by 5. Try working it out yourself with what I showed you."

Ellen hesitated, then took her pencil and drew 15 lines. She drew circles around groups of five lines and her eyes lit up. "Three!"

Jonathan nodded. "Good girl. Once you begin to memorize grouping like that, you won't need to draw it out."

"I like drawing," Ellen said. She worked on the next few problems as Jonathan watched. She'd almost worked through the whole sheet when Jonathan looked up to see Edward standing in the doorway between the dining room and the kitchen, looking at the two of them with a fond smile. 

"Having fun?" he asked.

Ellen looked up. "Can Jon come over to help me with homework every night?"

Edward laughed. "Ellen, he's not your tutor. I'd have to pay him. The tacos are ready if you want to serve yourself."

Ellen almost knocked her chair over with how fast she ran to the kitchen. Jonathan got out of his chair more slowly, moving her homework aside. Edward gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for helping her."

Jonathan nodded, then, after making sure Ellen wasn't in earshot, leaned down and whispered: "I know a way you can pay me later."

Edward flushed and gave him a swat on the shoulder. "Cheeky."

* * *

Ellen was nine years old now and growing like a weed. She was taller now then when Jonathan had first met her, but he and Edward suspected that she would take after her petite mother more than her father. She was a tomboy now, becoming interested in sports as well as art. Soccer was her favorite and she often sported bandages on her knees when Jonathan came by. She sat cross-legged on the couch now, looking up at him and her father as they stood in front of her. "I'm not in trouble, am I Dad?"

She'd stopped referring to Edward as 'Daddy' almost two years ago. Edward said he was happy that Ellen was maturing past it, but Jonathan thought he missed it a bit. Edward shook his head at her query. "No, sweetheart, not at all. Jonathan and I just had something important to talk to you about."

Ellen forehead creased and she looked worried. "Are you guys breaking up?"

Edward raised his hands. "No, no, nothing like that! Actually," Edward took a breath and looked at Jonathan. Jonathan gave him a nod. For something like this, Edward should take the lead. "Jonathan's going to be moving in with us."

There was a long silence as Ellen processed this information. Jonathan admitted to himself that he was just a bit nervous. Edward had told him over and over again that with the amount of time he spent at their home already, Ellen probably wouldn't notice much of a difference if he did move in, but Jonathan could see Edward fiddle with his thumbs just a bit. 

Finally, Ellen cocked her head at them. "Is that all?"

Jonathan let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Is that all?" Edward repeated. "Is that all you have to say?"

Ellen shrugged. "I was kind of wondering what took you so long, Jon."

Jonathan let out a loud laugh at that. Every day, Ellen seemed determined to show just how much she took after her father. "Just waiting for the right time child." Jonathan leaned in a bit closer. "I want you to know that this won't change anything between you and your father. You'll still have plenty of one on one time with him."

Ellen nodded. "I know." She looked back to her father. "Is Mom ok with this?"

"We've had plenty of discussions about this with your mother, yes. She said as long as you're ok, she's ok." Jonathan suppressed a shudder at the memory of the interrogation he'd gotten from Diane and Ellen's grandmother. He couldn't blame them for being protective, but Good Lord. 

Ellen chewed her lip. "I don't have to give up my room, do I?"

"No Ellen," Edward reassured her. "You'll be staying put."

Ellen nodded, satisfied. "Good."

A week later, Jonathan was fully moved in, the last box of books unpacked and on the living room shelf, sharing space with family pictures. It was a rare quiet night in the household, Jonathan, and Edward on the couch, Ellen lying on her stomach on the carpet in front of them, drawing away on the sketchbook her mother had gotten for her that year for her birthday. Edward was tucked into Jonathan's side watching another rerun of Jeopardy, shouting the answers along with the TV. Jonathan wasn't watching at all, instead dividing his attention between his lover and the child. Despite his normally stoic nature, Jonathan felt a warmth radiating through his body at the sight. For the first time he could remember, he felt home.

* * *

 

It was the year that Ellen turned 10 that everything changed.

"Can I ask you something?" Ellen asked Jonathan one night.

It was just the two of them in the house that evening. Edward was working late at GCPD finishing up a case report, which left Jonathan with Ellen. They had just finished dinner when Ellen had approached him with her question.

"Of course Child," he answered, placing his book down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He looked up to give Ellen his full attention.

Ellen stood in front of him and rubbed her elbow. A nervous habit she had. "Promise you won't tell Dad?"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Ellen," he said. "I don't keep secrets from your father. Are you in trouble at school?"

Ellen shook her head, whipping her red hair across her face. "No! It's-" She chewed her bottom lip a bit. "It's about Dad."

Now Jonathan was less worried and more curious. "Oh?"

Ellen worried her lip a bit longer before she finally blurted out "Are you and Dad ever gonna get married?"

For a long moment, Jonathan didn't say anything. How did one respond to a question like that? "That's...a conversation for me and your father," he said finally, sounding as if he'd had the wind punched out of him. 

Ellen didn't appear to be satisfied with this response. "Do you not want to marry my Dad?"

When did Jonathan Crane, possessor of a Ph.D. in psychology, not know how to respond to a question by a ten-year-old? "Ellen, where did this come from?"

Ellen rubbed her elbow again. "Gramma was asking my Mom. Mom said it wasn't their business."

He'd only met her a handful of times, usually at Ellen's birthday parties or when dropping her off with her mother, but Jonathan had to agree with Edward's assessment: Rachel Dixon really was a busybody. "Your mother is right," he said bluntly. "Your father and I agreed that we'd keep any talk about our relationship to ourselves. Don't worry about it."

Ellen nodded. Jonathan picked his book back up and flipped through the pages. He'd just found the spot where he'd left off when he heard Ellen say "I wouldn't mind if you were my stepdad." Jonathan barely felt the book fall from his hands to the floor as he looked back up at Ellen. She was still standing in front of the couch, rubbing her elbow. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

Jonathan was a man of few words and now this child had him at a complete loss. This girl, this little ten year old, was essentially giving him her blessing to marry her father. "No Child," he said thickly. He smiled at her, both to reassure her and out of deep affection. "Whether or not I become your stepfather is up to your father, but I'd be honored to have you as my stepdaughter."

Ellen's face lost its nervous expression and she grinned. Then she did something she hadn't done before. She jumped onto the sofa and hugged Jonathan. Jonathan went stiff as a board for a moment, then awkwardly returned it.

* * *

 

Jonathan thought about that conversation with Ellen for the rest of the evening until she went to bed and Edward finally came home. He was lying in bed next to him, his head resting on Jonathan's chest. He ran his long fingers through his lover's auburn hair, thinking about what he was going to say to him. 

"Not that I'm complaining Dearest," Edward murmured. "But you've been petting my hair for almost a half hour. What's wrong?"

Jonathan stilled his hand. "Nothin's wrong," he said. He took a breath. Now or never. "I had an interesting talk with Ellen today."

Edward looked up at him. "Oh?"

Jonathan wet his lower lip. "She...asked if we were ever going to get married."

Jonathan watched as Edward's eyes widened in surprise. "She-why would she ask?"

"Her grandmother's been asking Diane about it apparently." Edward let out a huff and muttered something about busybodies. Jonathan almost lost his nerve but pressed ahead. "Have you thought about it?"

Edward looked up again. "About marriage? Well, I..." Edward trailed off before he resumed speaking in a hurried tone. "Well I mean, we have been together for four years now, we've been living together for one, it's a natural progression-"

Jonathan leaned down a bit to kiss Edward's forehead. "Darlin', you're babbling."

Edward pouted. "I do not babble. Anyway, of course, I've thought about it." Edward looked back up at Jonathan and the similarity between Ellen's almost apprehensive expression earlier that evening and Edward's now didn't go unnoticed. "Have you?"

Jonathan wrapped his arms a bit tighter around Edward. "I've thought about it since our third date. If you said the word, I'd take you down to the courthouse and marry you tonight. I love you."

Edward's jaw dropped for a second, then his face became unreadable. "And Ellen?"

Jonathan smiled a bit. "There's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you and Ellen. I never pictured myself as any kind of a parent, but I love that girl like she was my own. I-I don't have a ring yet, but Edward Nashton, would-"

Jonathan was cut off by Edward's lips insistently pressing against his own. He was caught off guard for a moment before he placed his right hand behind Edward's head, deepening the kiss. Edward pulled away finally to take a breath and his green eyes were shining. "Yes. Yes, Jon."

* * *

 

The next morning, the three of them sat around the breakfast table. It was Saturday and Ellen's last full day with them before she'd go back to her mother on Sunday. Edward placed a glass of chocolate milk in front of Ellen before he put a cup of coffee in front of Jonathan. Jonathan caught his hand and pressed a quick kiss to it. "Thank you, darlin'."

Ellen made a bit of a face before she went back to eating her cinnamon sugar cereal. Edward took his seat next to Jonathan and turned to address Ellen. "Sweetheart, Jonathan and I have something to tell you-"

"Are you getting married?" Ellen asked in between mouthfuls.

Jonathan laughed out loud at the expression on Edward's face. "Ellen, don't talk with your mouth open," he scolded gently. "But yes." Edward took Jonathan's hand and squeezed it. "Jonathan and I are getting married. I know this is going to be a bit of a change, but I want you to know how important you are to both of us. We want you to be as involved in this as possible."

Ellen made another face. "Do I have to be a flower girl?" 

Edward shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that. But if you'd like, you can help us pick out the rings today."

Ellen considered this, then nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Five hours later, at the third jewelry store they'd gone to that day, Jonathan almost regretted this. Jonathan had decided on a simple gold band earlier that day, but Edward, bless his heart, was being finicky. He could sense that Ellen was beginning to lose patience too. "How about that one, Dad?"

Edward peered to where Ellen was pointing in the display case and frowned. "Ellen, that's over 20 grand! And it's hideous!"

"It's cool! It's a jaguar head!"

"Sweetheart, I am not getting married wearing a decapitated jaguar head on my hand. That's almost as bad as the skull rings you tried to have us get earlier."

"I liked the skull rings," Jonathan pointed out.

"Yeah," Ellen said. "They were cool."

Edward shook his head. "It's bad enough you two insist on building that horrible snowman every year and celebrating Halloween for a full week."

"We like spooky things!" Ellen defended. She looked down at the display and then pointed excitedly at one. "That one! It's got green on the inside of it!"

Jonathan looked over Ellen's head to see the ring she was gesturing to. It was a solid black tungsten ring with a vibrant green in the inner portion. It was perfect for Edward. "Yes," Jonathan said. "That's the one."

Edward looked at it and nodded. "We're all in agreement then. We'll take that one." 

Almost as soon as the cashier had accepted the purchase and handed them the box, Jonathan took it out and slid it on Edward's ring finger. "Perfect."

* * *

 

Diane noticed the rings as soon as Edward and Jonathan stepped out of the car to drop off Ellen. "Congratulations!" she said her face in a wide smile. 

"Thank you," Jonathan nodded. He and Diane were too different to ever really be friends with each other, but over the years, Jonathan had come to have a genuine respect for her. It appeared to be mutual, though Diane was always quick to make sure Ellen's interests came first. As it should be honestly.

"Ellen helped us pick out the rings," Edward said, ruffling his daughter's hair. 

Diane smiled again. "Did she now," She leaned down to put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Sweetie, your aunt Amy's here with cousin Aaron, why don't you go say hi?"

Ellen picked up her backpack and gave her father a hug. "Bye Dad, see you next weekend!" Before she ran into the house, she gave Jonathan a hug as well. "Bye Jon!" Ellen ran up the driveway into the house, leaving the three adults alone with each other.

"So," Diane said, her face a bit more serious now that Ellen was out of sight. "How'd Ellen take the news?"

"She was fine with it Diane," Edward assured her. "Actually, she was the one who asked Jonathan Friday night if we were ever going to get married at all! I think she's been expecting this."

Diane flushed a bit. "My mother," she murmured. "I'm sorry, I didn't know Ellen was listening to that."

"It's no bother at all," Jonathan said. "It wasn't anything we hadn't been thinking about ourselves."

"Ellen's not shy about sharing her feelings if something angers or upsets her," Edward pointed out. "If she had a problem with it, we'd all know about it."

Diane had to shake her head a bit. "Don't I know it. That, she gets from you, Eddie." She laughed a bit at Edward's expression of mock offense before her shoulders relaxed and she smiled again. "I really am happy for the both of you."

Jonathan didn't need to have a Ph.D. in psychology to know that she meant it. "Thank you, Diane."

* * *

 

Harley let out a squeal Monday morning in the break room when she saw the ring on Jonathan's finger. "Finally! When's the wedding?"

"We haven't decided on a date yet," Jonathan answered, trying to ignore the stares from the other faculty. "We'll probably just go down to the courthouse in a few weeks."

Harley's face fell a bit. "Oh come on, Jonny! You gotta have a party! At least let me and the girls take you two out for drinks!"

"Maybe," Jonathan said. The last time he and Edward had gone out for drinks with Harley and her friends, he'd woken up with a pierced ear and the mother of all hangovers.

"So," Harley continued. "This means you're going to be officially a stepdad now! What does Ellen think?"

"She helped us pick out the rings," Jonathan said. "I think she's happy for us."

"Good," Harley said. She gave Jonathan a kiss on the cheek. "You deserve this Jonny. Being happy."

Jonathan smiled a bit. He was happy. The happiest he'd ever been. So why was he waiting for the other shoe to drop?

* * *

 

The other shoe dropped in a way that Jonathan had never expected. 

He'd just managed to drift off to sleep at one in the morning on Wednesday when Edward's cell phone rang. Beside him, Edward got out of bed with a groan. "This better be important," Edward murmured. He stifled a yawn as he answered his phone. "Hello...Rachel?" Jonathan opened his eyes and watched as his lover sat up. "Rachel slow down, what-What? What!? When!? Why didn't you-" Jonathan felt the bed shift as Edward got out of bed and went to pull on his pants. "What did they say-" Edward finally stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh," he said in a small voice. "Oh, my God." Jonathan sat up then, confusion giving way to concern. Had something happened to Ellen? Was she sick, was she hurt? But if something happened to Ellen, where was Diane? Jonathan reached over to turn on the lamp on the bedside drawer. Edward still stood in the middle of the room, his hand covering his eyes. He nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Edward hung up the phone, then let it drop from his hand.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked.

Edward turned to look at him. He looked like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. "Diane was in a car accident five hours ago."

Jonathan felt his stomach drop. "Ellen-"

"She's fine," Edward said robotically. "She was at a friend's house. Rachel has her at Gotham County General Hospital.

Relief came over Jonathan like a calming wave. Then he saw tears come to Edward's eyes. "And Diane?"

Edward reached a hand up to wipe his eyes. "Jon...Diane's dead."

Jonathan felt as if he'd been hit by a truck. Diane was dead? He'd just seen her a few days ago. She was so young, she'd just turned 31 and Ellen-Jesus. Ellen had just lost her mother. Did she know yet? "I'll be ready to go in five minutes."

"Jon, you don't have to-"

"Yes, Edward. Yes, I do."

Neither man said a word on the drive to the hospital. Jonathan drove Edward's car while Edward made a few calls, to other members of the family, he presumed. When they got to the hospital, Edward seemed to be in a bit of a daze as they walked to the front desk. "I'm Edward Nashton," he said to the receptionist. "I'm looking for my daughter, Ellen Nashton, her grandmother, Rachel Dixon brought her here after her mother-" Edward paused to regain control. 

Jonathan took over for him. "Her mother, Diane Dixon died here earlier this evening. He needs to be with his daughter."

The receptionist nodded. "I'll have someone escort you."

A nurse took them to an elevator to the second floor, then down a long corridor. Jonathan saw Ellen first, sitting in a chair outside of a room. She was sitting curled up into a ball, with her face in her knees. Edward fully came alive then. "Ellen!" he shouted, breaking into a run.

Ellen looked up, her little face streaked with tears. SHe got off the chair and ran to them, her arms out. "Daddy!" she wailed. Edward met her halfway, then scooped her up into a hug, pressing kisses onto her forehead. Jonathan watched for a moment as the father and daughter shared their moment of grief. Then he slowly ambled up to them and placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. Their world had changed in an instant. Now, what would they do?


	5. The Crane-Nashton Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diane's death forces Jonathan to decide just what exactly his role in the Nashton family will be.

The three stood in the hospital hallway for only about five minutes, but to Jonathan, it seemed longer. A doctor emerged from the room Ellen had been sitting next to and cleared his throat. "Mr. Nashton?"

Edward looked up, not loosening his grip on Ellen. "Yes?"

The Doctor spoke in a clinical voice, "Ms. Dixon is waiting inside if you wish to speak with her."

Jonathan watched as Ellen's grip around her father tightened. "Can't this wait?" he asked. 

"It's alright," Edward said. "I do need to talk to Rachel." He leaned down to speak to Ellen. "Stay here with Jonathan, ok sweetheart? I just need to talk to your Grandma and then we'll go home."

Ellen didn't respond, but slowly let go. She'd stopped crying, but her eyes were red-rimmed. Jonathan had never seen her in such a state. Edward gave her a kiss on the forehead. "My good girl, my brave girl," he murmured. Edward looked back at Jonathan.

"Go," Jonathan said. "We'll be here." Edward followed the doctor into the room and shut the door behind them. Ellen almost instantly grabbed Jonathan's hand and held it tight. "Are you thirsty, child?" he asked as gently as his tone would allow. "Do you want something to eat?"

Ellen shook her head, instead gripping onto Jonathan's hand tighter. Jonathan sighed. "Alright child," he said. "Let's go find somewhere to sit."

He guided Ellen to a private room further down the hall. Once he shut the door, he took Ellen to a sofa that was propped against the wall. "Come here child, let's sit down." They weren't on the couch for a minute before Ellen broke out into tears again. Jonathan sighed and awkwardly put his arm around her shoulder. "It's alright child."

"No it's not," she sniffled. "I want my Mom..."

Jonathan had never known his own mother or his father for that matter. When Grandmother Keeny had died, he'd felt relief at her passing. He'd never known the level of grief that Ellen must be feeling at this moment. He sighed. "I know darlin'. I know." He brought his long fingers up to gently stroke the girl's hair. If words could not console her, this would have to do for now. Ellen continued to sob and then brought her arms around Jonathan's midsection before burying her face in his side. Jonathan held the girl tight, not saying a word. Ellen's sobs eventually died down and soon, all Jonathan could hear was the sound of her breathing.

He looked up when he heard the door open. Edward stood there, looking very tired. "Is she asleep?" he whispered.

Jonathan nodded. "Cried herself to sleep, poor thing."

Edward's face crumpled and he stepped forward. "My poor darling," he said, stroking her face. "I'm finished with Rachel for now," he explained. "She'll be taking care of the-the funeral arrangements."

Jonathan nodded. "Are we good to take Ellen?"

"Yes," Edward said. "Rachel...she thinks Ellen would be better off with us until she gets the funeral taken care of."

Realization suddenly hit Jonathan. "And afterward?" Edward was now Ellen's only surviving parent. He'd be taking on sole custody of her now. 

Edward sighed and ran a hand through his messy auburn hair. "Not now," he said. "I can't think of that now. I just want to take her home."

Jonathan nodded and slowly moved his arms to give Edward access to the girl. Edward gently scooped Ellen up in his arms. "I don't think I've held her like this since she was five," he said. Jonathan got up and followed him wordlessly out of the waiting room and back to his truck.

* * *

 

For the next two days, Jonathan felt like a bystander in his own life. The first night, Ellen had night terrors and had woken up three times, crying out for her father. Edward had finally moved a chair into her room to stay next to her. Jonathan had emerged from their bedroom at noon to find him slumped over, sleeping. Jonathan sighed and pulled out his phone to call the university to tell them that he wouldn't be in. He dialed Ellen's school next, then GCPD. After calling Gordon to inform him of Edward's absence, he walked to the kitchen to make a late breakfast and coffee. Edward staggered into the kitchen just as Jonathan had finished the coffee. "Everything alright?"

Edward nodded groggily and nearly collapsed into a chair at the dining room table. "Ellen finally got back to sleep around six. I think she'll be out for the rest of the day."

Jonathan hummed a bit and put a mug of coffee in front of Edward. "And you?"

Edward took a long sip of coffee, not even waiting for it to be cool. "I'll live," he said and finishing. "It doesn't matter how I feel anyway."

Jonathan frowned as he stirred the oatmeal. "I understand Ellen comes first, but you need to take care of yourself too Edward. You're not going to help Ellen if you're falling apart."

"Don't lecture me, Jonathan," Edward snapped, "I'm not in the mood."

Jonathan almost snapped back himself before he calmed himself down. They'd had a long night, they were tired and the last thing anyone in that house needed was a fight. "I'm not trying to lecture you darlin'," he said at last. He scooped the finished oatmeal and placed it into a bowl. "Are you hungry?"

Edward sighed. Jonathan turned around and saw that he was fiddling with the engagement ring they'd picked out just that last weekend. "No," Edward said. He abruptly got out of his chair. "I'm going to go back and check on Ellen." He left the room without another word and Jonathan stood in the kitchen alone, wondering what had just happened.

Edward only exchanged a few words with Jonathan for the rest of the day. Ellen didn't come out of her room for that entire day.

Ellen slept a bit better that night, but on Thursday morning, Edward looked even more run down. He sat at the kitchen table, not touching the now lukewarm cup of coffee Jonathan had set in front of him. "I can call the university again," Jonathan said. "I can stay here to help you out."

"It's not your responsibility Jon," Edward said dully. He fiddled again with his ring. "You can go ahead. We'll be fine."

Jonathan placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Edward-"

Edward pulled away. "I said it was fine, Jon."

It was the almost indifferent tone that set Jonathan off. "No it's not Edward," he said. "You've almost completely shut down. You're not eating, you're not sleeping, and you're not talking to me." Jonathan lowered his voice, in case Ellen could hear. "I love you and I would do anything for you, but I can't help you if you keep shutting me out. I won't stand for that."

Edward said nothing, but Jonathan caught his lower lip beginning to tremble, just a bit. Jonathan took the seat next to him and took his hands. As soon as he did, Edward spoke. "I wouldn't blame you, you know. If you left."

Jonathan wrinkled his brow. "Left for work or-" then a cold feeling pierced his heart. "You mean if I left you?"

"I know this isn't what you signed up for," Edward continued. "I know how much you love Ellen, but you didn't ask to be a full-time parent or to deal with Rachel, or funerals, or me being a complete wreck..."Edward's voice trailed off and tears began to roll down his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be thinking about this, I should be focusing on Ellen, but I can't stop thinking about everything, we were supposed to get married and now Diane's dead, and Ellen can't stop crying and I can't take her pain away Jon, I can't-" He broke down finally and Jonathan wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Shh darlin'" Jonathan tried to soothe, rubbing his hands up and down Edward's back. "It's alright, it's alright."

"I'm pathetic," Edward sobbed against Jonathan's chest. "She's my baby Jon, she's my baby girl and I can't do anything for her!"

"She lost her mother, Edward," Jonathan said. "She needs time to process it. You can't shield her from grief." He kissed Edward's forehead. "I think you need to grieve too."

Edward reached a hand to wipe at his eyes. "I wasn't in love with Diane," he said. "Not for a long time. But she was Ellen's mother. She didn't deserve this, Jon. She deserved to see Ellen grow up, go to high school, college, get married, start her own family." Edward shook his head. "She was a better parent than me. I'm all Ellen has now, and I'm not good enough!"

"You stop that right now," Jonathan said. "Anyone who's ever seen you with Ellen knows how good of a father you are. Diane said so herself. And you're not all Ellen has. Her grandmother is still here. So am I."

Edward looked up at Jonathan. When he said nothing, he continued, "I meant what I said to you last Saturday. I love you and Ellen more than anything in this world. I will help you in any way that I can, as long as you'll have me." Edward threw his arms around Jonathan than and the two stayed in their embrace for a long while. "I'm not going anywhere Edward," Jonathan murmured. "So don't worry about that."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Edward said. He'd stopped crying and now sounded exhausted.

"I'm not a medical doctor Edward, but I think it's pretty clear that you're exhausted," Jonathan said. "I'll call the university and tell them I'll be out for the rest of the week. I'm not leaving you like this."

Edward nodded and nuzzled against Jonathan. "Thank you."

"We need to talk about some things," Jonathan added. "But more importantly, you need to get some sleep."

"Ellen-"

"I'll look after her, Edward. I promise." Edward hesitated but finally stood up. Jonathan went with him to their bedroom and lay down next to him until Edward had fallen into a deep sleep.

After calling the university, Jonathan sat with his laptop on the sofa, sending emails out to the few colleagues he was close with. Harley, in particular, had been badgering him for an update. A soft shuffling distracted him from typing. He looked up to see Ellen looking at him. She was still in her light blue pajamas, her eyes red-rimmed. "Hello Child," Jonathan said softly.

Ellen continued to stand there and rubbed her elbow. "Were you and Dad fighting?"

Jonathan froze. She must have heard his and Edward's earlier exchange. He let out a long sigh. "No child, we weren't fighting. Why?"

"I heard him crying. Was it about me?"

Jonathan wet his lip as he considered the question. She deserved honesty from him, he finally decided. "Yes," he said. At the look on Ellen's face, he quickly clarified "He's worried about you, Ellen. We both are."

Ellen looked down at her feet. Jonathan pat the spot next to him on the couch. "Come here, child."

Ellen slowly walked to the couch and sat next to Jonathan. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your father loves you very much," Jonathan said. "He wants what's best for you and he was worried that he wasn't good enough for you."

"He is!" Ellen said. "He's the best Dad in the world!"

"I know," Jonathan said. "I know." He moved the hand on her shoulder to the top of her head. "Your Dad's sleeping right now. Do you want me to get you anything? Do you want something to eat?"

Ellen didn't answer but asked a question of her own. "Am I going to live here from now on?"

"I believe so," Jonathan answered. "I'm sure you'll still spend plenty of time with your grandmother." When Ellen didn't say anything, Jonathan took a deep breath. "I know I can't replace your mother," he said softly. "And I would never try to. I want you to know though I love you and your father very much. I'll do the best I can by you."

For a moment, Ellen didn't say anything, then Jonathan felt her arms hug around him. Jonathan hugged the girl back. "I'm hungry," she said. "Can I have some chips?"

Jonathan nodded. "Yes, child. You can have some chips."

Ellen was sitting at the kitchen table while Jonathan poured out the bag of Ellen's favorite kind of potato chips when she suddenly spoke. "Mom said she really liked you."

"Did she now," Jonathan said, carrying the bowl to the kitchen table. He barely put the bowl on the table when Ellen began to grab little fistfuls of chips. Poor thing had eaten as little as Edward had the last few days. He'd need to make the both of them a proper meal when Edward woke up. "I liked her too." It wasn't a lie. Whatever mixed feelings Jonathan had had about her at the beginning, he'd come to genuinely like Diane. What Ellen needed right now was to be able to talk about her mother. 

"She taught me how to draw," Ellen continued between mouthfuls. "She said I could be a good artist when I grew up." Ellen wiped her eyes. "Jon...Can I put up pictures of Mom?"

Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll never need to ask me permission to do that Ellen," he said. "In fact...why don't you draw a picture of her and put it on the table here?"

For the first time in days, Ellen smiled a bit. "OK. Thank you, Jon."

When Edward came out an hour later, Jonathan was sitting next to Ellen, watching her drawing a picture of her mother. Ellen looked up and got out of her chair to give her father a hug. "Hi, Dad!"

Edward looked surprised but happy that Ellen was out of her room. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Hi, sweetheart." He looked at the table. "What are you doing?"

"Drawing," Ellen said. "Jon said I could draw a picture of Mom and put her up on the table."

"He did?" Edward looked at Jon with surprise.

Jonathan felt a bit unnerved by the look in Edward's eyes. "Is that a problem?" Perhaps he should have stopped to consider Edward's thoughts about having a picture of his dead ex on the kitchen table.  

Edward gestured to Jonathan. "Can I speak to you, in private?"

Jonathan's heart sank as he got out of his chair. He followed Edward down the hallway back towards their bedroom. Just as soon as they were out of Ellen's view, Edward launched himself at Jonathan, pressing him against the wall and kissing him soundly on the lips. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," Edward murmured, once they parted. "But whatever it was, I'm glad. I love you so much, Jonathan Crane."

Jonathan wrapped his hands around Edward's waist and kissed him softly. "I love you too, Edward Nashton."

* * *

 

"What do you mean, you don't want Ellen at the funeral!?"

Jonathan looked up sharply at his lover when he heard him shout into the phone. It had been a week since that fateful night at the hospital and the following day would be Diane's funeral. A funeral that apparently, Rachel didn't want her granddaughter to attend.

"I realize that a funeral is a sad event, but Ellen's ten, not an infant! She wants to go! She deserves to-" Edward paused as Rachel said her piece and Jonathan watched his face redden. "Of course I'm close to the situation! I'm her father! I'm the one who's been up with her at night when she's been crying! You don't have any right to-of course I don't want to traumatize her! Of course I-"

Jonathan had had enough of this. With one fluid movement, he grabbed the phone from Edward. "Ms. Dixon? This is Jonathan Crane, Edward's fiance. I realize you probably don't think I have a stake in this, but I am a certified psychologist. And let me tell you right now, you may think you're doing your granddaughter a favor by attempting to shield her from this, but this is her mother's funeral. If you prevent her from attending, I guarantee she will never forgive you for it. You can decide whether to have a potentially distraught granddaughter for an afternoon or no relationship with her for the rest of your hopefully long life." There was a long moment of silence before Rachel Dixon answered. Jonathan smirked. "Of course. She and Edward will be there by 9:30. If you don't believe it would be inappropriate, I'll attend too. Thank you." Jonathan hung up the phone and gave it back to a gobsmacked Edward. 

"You know I've forgotten how terrifying you can be," he said.

Jonathan shrugged. Perhaps he'd been a bit harsh on a woman who had recently lost her daughter, but she was about to do irreparable harm to Ellen's recovery. "When I'm sufficiently motivated."

"You don't have to come you know."

"I know," Jonathan answered. "I'll go for you and Ellen."

* * *

 

Jonathan had only been to a handful of funerals in his life, mostly for fellow faculty members. Diane's was much like them: a suitably solemn occasion. He'd stayed with Edward and Ellen mostly, making sure to give Rachel a wide berth. Ellen was quiet for the funeral, lingering by the casket before it was lowered into the grave. She remained quiet on the drive home as well. When the three arrived, she went straight to her room and shut the door behind her.

Edward and Jonathan exchanged a worried glance. "Should we check on her?" Jonathan asked.

"In a bit," Edward said. "Maybe she just needs a few minutes."

A few minutes turned into an hour. Edward walked up and knocked on her door with Jonathan beside him. "Ellen? Sweetheart? Can we come in?"

There was a pause before Ellen's door opened. Ellen was still dressed in the black dress she'd worn for the funeral, with tears streaming down her face. She held up a portrait of herself and her mother. Jonathan recognized it as the picture she'd begun drawing earlier that week. "I'm done," Ellen said. "Can I put this on the table?"

Edward took the picture from his daughter's hands. "Let's get a frame for it. Then we can put it on the dining room table."

The three sat at the dining room table, Diane's portrait in the center of the table. It perhaps was a foolish thought, but Jonathan wondered if perhaps Diane was there with them, watching them. He remembered the first conversation he'd had with her and made a vow. _I'll look after them Diane,_ he thought, looking over the subdued father and daughter. _I promise._

* * *

 

Ellen was eleven years old now. It had been almost a year since her mother had died and although she still had moments of sadness, she was a resilient child. She was almost back to the girl she'd been before Diane's passing. And she was asking as many questions as ever. "When are you and Dad finally gonna get married?"

Jonathan stopped reading his scientific journal. In the immediate aftermath of Diane's death, he and Edward had agreed to put the wedding on hold. That had been almost a year ago. "Why don't you ever ask your father about these things?"

Ellen shrugged. "Dad gets all weird about stuff like this. You just say stuff. So when are you going to get married?"

Jonathan sighed. "That's a question I'll have to ask your father when he gets back from work."

The answer apparently, was as soon as humanly possible.

A week later, Jonathan and Edward stood in a Gotham City courthouse marriage license in hand. Ellen had stood as a witness along with Harley, Pamela, Selina and a few of Edward's friends from GCPD. The vows had been exchanged and now all that was left was the official pronouncement. "Do you," the officiant asked, "Jonathan Crane, take Edward Nashton to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Jonathan said.

"And do you, Edward Nashton, take Jonathan Crane to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Edward said.

"I now pronounce you married. You may-"

The officiant wasn't able to finish before Edward and Jonathan kissed. Jonathan ignored the catcalling from Harley and some of Edward's friends and focused on his husband. He pulled away and Edward's face was flushed. His lover-his husband now. He didn't think he would ever get used to that. He felt a tug on the sleeve of his tweed jacket and saw Ellen looking up at him with a beaming face. His stepdaughter hugged him and Jonathan hugged back. The Crane-Nashton family was now official.

* * *

 

Ellen was fourteen now and driving her father absolutely mad. "Ellen!" he shouted down the hall. "Let's go! You're going to be late for your first day of high school!"

"I'm almost done! Chill out, Old Man!"

"What have I told you about calling me that!?"

Jonathan took a sip of coffee and shook his head. "It's only 8:30, Edward and the school's a ten-minute drive away. She'll be fine."

"But it's her first day, Jonathan! She needs to make a good first impression on her teachers!"

"I'm sure that's the absolute last thing on her mind today, Edward."

Edward huffed. "This is a milestone in her life, Jon!"

"It's high school Edward," Jonathan drawled. "She'll hate it by the end of her first period."

Edward's shoulders sagged a bit. "She will, won't she? Oh well: hopefully she won't be as bad on her teachers as she was in middle school. I'd rather not have a repeat of the time you had to go to a parent-teacher conference."

"In Ellen's defense, that man was in no way qualified to teach middle school students. He deserved everything I said to him."

Edward shook his head. "You two bring out the worst in each other, I swear. ELLEN!"

Ellen stomped up the hall, backpack in hand. "Alright, Dad! Jeez! Keep your shirt on!"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Finally. Now let's go before you're late."

"I can't wait until I learn how to drive," Ellen grumbled.

"I can," Edward winced. "Grab some pop-tarts and say goodbye to Jon."

Ellen opened a drawer to grab some pop-tarts before she walked over to Jon's seat. "Bye, Jon."

Jonathan looked up from his paper to give her a genuine smile. "Have a good first day, child."

Ellen smiled back. "I will. Thanks, papa."

Ellen followed Edward out the door and Jonathan watched from the window as the father and daughter got into the car. Ellen caught his gaze and waved. Jonathan waved back and watched as the car pulled out and his husband and daughter left. He continued to smile as he went about getting ready for his day. Life was good.

 


End file.
